Anthias and Skunk Shrimp - Best Friends

[Terri Caton]

At least me Anthers thinks so. Have you ever seen a fish like this? The Anthers LOVES to be cleaned. It will go to the Peppermint Shrimp but absolutely love the Skunk Shrimp. Bugs the heck out of the Skunk Shrimp all day long! Now it is just hanging out with the shrimp. Since the shrimp likes to be upside down under the overhang the fish has decided it will too!

 

[Seanislav]

I have had Square Spot Anthias seek out my skunks for the occasional "once over," but not to the point of hanging out in the same area full time. Same story for my one remaining Dispar Anthias.

 

[Terri Caton]

At least me Anthers thinks so. Have you ever seen a fish like this? The Anthers LOVES to be cleaned. It will go to the Peppermint Shrimp but absolutely love the Skunk Shrimp. Bugs the heck out of the Skunk Shrimp all day long! Now it is just hanging out with the shrimp. Since the shrimp likes to be upside down under the overhang the fish has decided it will too!

Stupid spell checker. I meant Anthias

 

[flagg37]

At least me Anthers thinks so. Have you ever seen a fish like this? The Anthers LOVES to be cleaned. It will go to the Peppermint Shrimp but absolutely love the Skunk Shrimp. Bugs the heck out of the Skunk Shrimp all day long! Now it is just hanging out with the shrimp. Since the shrimp likes to be upside down under the overhang the fish has decided it will too!

That’s so funny. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

At least me Anthers thinks so. Have you ever seen a fish like this? The Anthers LOVES to be cleaned. It will go to the Peppermint Shrimp but absolutely love the Skunk Shrimp. Bugs the heck out of the Skunk Shrimp all day long! Now it is just hanging out with the shrimp. Since the shrimp likes to be upside down under the overhang the fish has decided it will too!

That is cute. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Terri Caton]

Hours later...still hanging out. Note how the Yellow Assessor is swimming underneath. It's the one who is supposed to be swimming upside down!

 

[pcon]

FYI, this is usually a sign of disease. Flukes or other gill irritation. Did you QT and prophylactically treat?

 

[Terri Caton]

I figured someone would say that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the fish. Was quarantined. Swims around. Eats more than the other fish combined. And, yes, I feed it 3-4 x a day. Just loves to be with that shrimp. It started by swimming up to it and turning upside down so it could be cleaned. It's gradually stayed in that position longer and longer.

I think I might have to stop posting on here. Everyone is so gloom and doom.

 

[pcon]

No need to be defensive Terri, trying to help either you or the next person to stumble across this thread down the road. But frequent cleanings from cleaner shrimp is not normal behavior for a fish, and many experienced aquarists use cleaner shrimp as a sign for when the fish are ill. If a fish is frequently asking a cleaner to hop on that is an easy and well know sign of parasites or illness. Most frequently a sign of flukes or other external parasite, but less frequently a sign of infection or internal parasites.

I figured someone would say that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the fish.

I mean how can you say that with such certainty when you posted this a week ago?

Help! My fish are sick

My tank is 2 months old. I added 2 juvenile Percula Clownfish at the very beginning and they have been great. 3 weeks later I added a Royal Gramma and they all were great. 2 weeks later I added an Orchid Dottyback. Again, all great. 1 week ago I added 5 new snails. None of them were...

www.reef2reef.com

You have very little information on the cause of death of these fish, and the conclusion that it was a thermoplastic interacting with a cyanoacrylate is dubious at best. Would need some solid support not your "LFS experts" said so so I believe them. I just talked to a chemist and material scientist, they both thought such an explanation was ludicrous. Far more likely that a disease reared up without obvious symptoms.

Was quarantined.

Yet you haven't said what prophylactic treatments or QT protocol you use. Some people call 1 week in a different tank a QT.

From the linked thread on the dead clownfish

None of them were quarantined by me

So you didn't actually QT any of your fish? I have had fish from some of the best "Pre-QT'd" fish suppliers in the nation and their protocols are not failproof. I highly doubt un-named supplier with undescribed QT protocol is up to snuff.

If one is going to trust anyones QT process, they should be able to answer the following questions:
Specifically what was the QT process? What biosecurity measures were taken to prevent the introduction of new illness? What prophylactic treatments were undertaken?

I think I might have to stop posting on here. Everyone is so gloom and doom.

The "Seagan Standard": Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence
Combining 2 stable commonly used materials killed my fish
My anthias is friends with a shrimp

Extraordinarily optimistic claims compared to far more conventional explanations for the observations.
I get it, it is far more desirable to come up with anything other than unknown illness as what's going on. I have killed a few fish convincing myself that a red flag wasn't a bad sign.

 

[Terri Caton]

I did not ask for yo

No need to be defensive Terri, trying to help either you or the next person to stumble across this thread down the road. But frequent cleanings from cleaner shrimp is not normal behavior for a fish, and many experienced aquarists use cleaner shrimp as a sign for when the fish are ill. If a fish is frequently asking a cleaner to hop on that is an easy and well know sign of parasites or illness. Most frequently a sign of flukes or other external parasite, but less frequently a sign of infection or internal parasites.



I mean how can you say that with such certainty when you posted this a week ago?

Help! My fish are sick

My tank is 2 months old. I added 2 juvenile Percula Clownfish at the very beginning and they have been great. 3 weeks later I added a Royal Gramma and they all were great. 2 weeks later I added an Orchid Dottyback. Again, all great. 1 week ago I added 5 new snails. None of them were...

www.reef2reef.com

You have very little information on the cause of death of these fish, and the conclusion that it was a thermoplastic interacting with a cyanoacrylate is dubious at best. Would need some solid support not your "LFS experts" said so so I believe them. I just talked to a chemist and material scientist, they both thought such an explanation was ludicrous. Far more likely that a disease reared up without obvious symptoms.


Yet you haven't said what prophylactic treatments or QT protocol you use. Some people call 1 week in a different tank a QT.

From the linked thread on the dead clownfish

So you didn't actually QT any of your fish? I have had fish from some of the best "Pre-QT'd" fish suppliers in the nation and their protocols are not failproof. I highly doubt un-named supplier with undescribed QT protocol is up to snuff.

If one is going to trust anyones QT process, they should be able to answer the following questions:
Specifically what was the QT process? What biosecurity measures were taken to prevent the introduction of new illness? What prophylactic treatments were undertaken?




The "Seagan Standard": Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence
Combining 2 stable commonly used materials killed my fish
My anthias is friends with a shrimp

Extraordinarily optimistic claims compared to far more conventional explanations for the observations.
I get it, it is far more desirable to come up with anything other than unknown illness as what's going on. I have killed a few fish convincing myself that a red flag wasn't a bad sign.

I did not ask for your opinion or help.

 

[pcon]

First post in thread:

Have you ever seen a fish like this?

After hearing something you don't want to hear:

I did not ask for yo

I did not ask for your opinion or help.

Can't handle the heat don't get in the kitchen buddy. Don't want to be called out on your dubious claims don't make them publicly. This forum is for the discussion of the proper caring for fish. When you make claims like my fish is friends with a cleaner shrimp, expect for people to call out what is a more likely explanation. Fish who very frequently go to a cleaner shrimp are doing so because of something going on with them.

 

[Terri Caton]

Well, Anthias is still doing fine! Still best buddies with the Skunk shrimp. So, the likely explanation is that the fish just loves that shrimp!

And it was definitely a toxic substance in my tank. 2 professional reef keepers have been helping me and after several 85% water changes, and a mini cycle that is ending now, everyone is doing just fine. No more toxic chemical water smell. Whew!

BTW, the professionals were never worried about the Anthias. I'll take the advise of a professional who can see my tank in person any day of the week. This is a great forum to look up information and ask questions but it's just internet advise. If you are having a really bizarre issue with something get a professional. They don't cost much. Certainly less than losing your livestock. IMHO anyway.

 

[mattzang]

i've been given terrible advice on numerous occasions by "professionals"

you still have to parse through information on this forum, people have different biases than selling stuff and rather towards their own favorite fish or corals or equipment or whatever it may be, but you just take it in and make the choice yourself.

 

[Terri Caton]

i've been given terrible advice on numerous occasions by "professionals"

you still have to parse through information on this forum, people have different biases than selling stuff and rather towards their own favorite fish or corals or equipment or whatever it may be, but you just take it in and make the choice yourself.

Very true. There are people who are good or bad at their jobs in anything.
I'm in medicine. A saying of mine is...just because you have a bunch of letters after your name doesn't mean you're good at your job. Only that you were smart enough to get through school.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Came across this thread years later and a few of OPs posts later the fish showed serious symptoms of something and died soon after. Another case to point at when trying to convince people of the importance of biosecurity.

 

[i cant think]

Came across this thread years later and a few of OPs posts later the fish showed serious symptoms of something and died soon after. Another case to point at when trying to convince people of the importance of biosecurity.

This is interesting - I came across this thread but never looked further into the other posts after it. It also shows some people really should listen to people trying to show them warning signs sometimes and not shrug them off. Even if someone says they’ve been told false information from a “professional” they still shouldn’t ignore it.